RS 2168B: Angels, Demons, and Magic: Jewish Folklore
Spring 2012 Tuesday 9:30-12:30 Room: W164 Instructor: Dr. Matthew Neujahr Email: [email protected] Office hours: Tuesday, 3:00-4:00pm Office location: FB002A
Course Description This course is a survey of Jewish traditions about a variety of phenomena prominent especially in folkloric sources: angles, demons, and various practices that would typically be called “magic.” The bulk of the course will focus on such phenomena in ancient Jewish sources; however, select topics will be pursued through the medieval and early modern periods, up through the twentieth century.
Course Objectives By the end of the course, the successful student will have gained a knowledge of numerous Jewish folk traditions, as well as an understanding of the origin and development of angelology in Judaism.
Course Format This course is not a passive lecture course—you will be required to interact in a variety of ways. I will lecture for part of each class, but you will be required to come to class prepared and ready to respond to questions and participate in discussion. There are no wrong answers or bad contributions as long as you are respectful of others’ opinions and willing to be challenged.
Course Requirements and Evaluation Class Engagement: 10%
• Regular attendance and participation is mandatory. Participation makes up 10% of your total grade. • More than one unexcused absence will result in a penalty of 5% of your final grade for each absence. • There are many forms of participation, including, but not limited to, attentive listening, asking questions about the material, answering the instructor’s questions, participating in group work when assigned, etc. • The use of cell phones, smart phones, portable game consoles, pagers, beepers, fax machines, or any other device used for communication during class is forbidden. If you are found to be texting, etc., during class, you will be marked for an unexcused absence. • The use of notebook computers is allowed for the purpose of taking notes only. If, as the instructor walks about the room, you are found to be chatting, emailing, web surfing, playing Plants vs. Zombies, etc., you will be marked for an unexcused absence. • Similarly, if a student is found to be reading a book, doing homework for another class, or otherwise profoundly disengaged from the class, the student will be marked for an unexcused absence. • The King’s policy on medical absences can be found here: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/accommodation_medical.pdf.
Quizzes: 20%
• Three short-answer in-class quizzes over the course of the term.
Midterm Exam: 30%
• The exam will consist of short answer identifications (1-2 sentence answers) and a choice of one out of three essay questions (answers should be approximately 4 paragraphs). • The exam will take about 1 hour. • No electronic devices may be used during the midterm exam. • If a student has a legitimate (e.g. medical) excuse for missing the exam, a makeup exam will be given at a mutually agreeable time.
Final Exam: 40% • Based on lecture notes—all class material will be covered • Approximate length: 2 hours • Short-answer and essay format
Required Texts
• Buber, The Legend of the Baal-Shem • Charlesworth, ed. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, volume 1 • Dan, Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction • Vermes, The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls • Chabon, The Amazing Adventure of Kavalier & Clay • A Bible, any translation (if students wish, all Bible readings can be done online, e.g., at http://www.biblegateway.com)
Week 1 (10 January) Topic: Introduction and definition of terms
Week 2 (17 January) Topic: Angels, Demons, and Magic in the Hebrew Bible
Reading due today:
• “Angels” in the Dictionary of Early Judaism (electronic resource) • Genesis 6:1-4; 18:1-19:3; 32:4-33 • Deuteronomy 32:1-9 • Ezekiel 1 • Zechariah 1-6 • Job 1-2 • 1 Samuel 28 • 2 Kings 4 • Leviticus 19:26-31; Deuteronomy 18:10-15 Week 3 (24 January) Topic: Retelling biblical tales; folk narrative and written literature
Reading due today:
• Hasan-Rokem, “Jewish Folklore and Ethnography” (electronic resource) • Genesis Apocryphon (Vermes) • Testament of Job chapters 1-27, 51-53 (Charlesworth) • Selections from Jubilees (electronic resource) • Selections from Pseudo-Philo’s Biblical Antiquities (electronic resource)
Week 4 (31 January) Topic: Astrology, physiognomy, bibliomancy, and other forms of divination in ancient Judaism; in class assignment: workshop on understanding non-literary magical remains (amulets and magic bowls) *Quiz*
Reading due today:
• 4Q186 (Vermes) • 4Q318 (Vermes) • 4Q561 (Vermes) • 1QS 3:13-4:25 (the Two Spirit treatise) (Vermes) • 1 Enoch chapters 72-82 (Charlesworth) • Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 156a-b (electronic resource) Week 5 (7 February) Topic: Angels, demons, and end times
Reading due today:
• Daniel chapters 7-12 • 1 Enoch chapters 85-90 (Charlesworth) • War Scroll (1QM) (Vermes) • Apocryphon of Jeremiah C (Vermes)
Week 6 (14 February) Topic: Living among the angels in ancient Judaism
Reading due today:
• Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice (Vermes) • Thanksgiving Hymns (Hodayot) (Vermes) • Melchezidek Text (11Q Melch) (Vermes) • New Jerusalem Text (Vermes) • Rule of the Congregation (1QSb) (Vermes) Week 7 (21 February) NO CLASS: READING WEEK
Week 8 (28 February)
Topic: Otherworldly journeys *Quiz*
Reading due today:
• 1 Enoch chapters 1-36 (Charlesworth) • 2 Enoch chapters 1-43 (Charlesworth) • A.Y. Collins, “The Seven Heavens in Jewish and Christian Apocalypses” (electronic resource)
Week 9 (6 March) Topic: Satan, Belial, Mastema: the enemy of God’s people *MIDTERM EXAM TODAY*
Reading due today:
• Study for the exam! • Review the readings in which we have already encountered figures called Satan, Belial, and Mastema, as well as the tale of the fallen angles in 1 Enoch 1-36. Supplementary materials will be handed out and discussed in class.
Week 10 (13 March) Topic: Introduction to medieval Jewish mysticism: angles, emanations, and heaven.
Reading due today:
• Dan, Kabbalah
Week 11 (20 March) Topic: Mysticism: angles and emanations in Kabbalah and Merkabah, continued
Reading due today:
• 3 Enoch (aka Sefer Hekhalot) (Charlesworth)
Week 12 (27 March) Topic: Bringing the unliving to life: the golem legend *Quiz* FILM: Der Golem
Reading due today:
• Selections from Sefer Yitzerah (electronic resource) • Selections from Moshe Idel, Golem (electronic resource)
Week 13 (3 April) Topic: The Baal Shem Tov and the foundation of Hasidism
Reading due today:
• Buber, Legend of the Baal-Shem
Week 14 (10 April) Topic: Transformation of folklore in the modern period; Kavalier & Clay discussion; super heroes as 20th Century Jewish folklore; the Shoah (Holocaust) as generative of contemporary Jewish folklore; rethinking the categories of magic, angel, and folklore *Quiz*
Reading due today:
• Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Official statement on the use of laptops / electronic devices:
King’s University College at The University of Western Ontario acknowledges the integration of new technologies and learning methods into the curriculum. The use of laptop computers can contribute to student engagement and effective learning. At the same time, King’s recognizes that instructors and students share jointly the responsibility to establish and maintain a respectful classroom environment conducive to learning.
The use of laptops by students during lectures, seminars, labs, etc., shall be for matters related to the course at hand only. Students found to be using laptops for purposes not directly related to the class may be subject to sanctions under the Student Code of Conduct.
See http://www.kings.uwo.ca/pt5/assets/File/code_of_conduct_2003.pdf
Inappropriate use of laptops during lectures, seminars, labs, etc., creates a significant disruption. As a consequence, instructors may choose to limit the use of electronic devices in these settings. In addition, in order to provide a safe classroom environment, students are strongly advised to operate laptops with batteries rather than power cords.
Policy on Scholastic Offenses Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between The University of Western Ontario and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com.
Additional Information: Support Services The web site for Registrarial Service at King’s University College is www.kings.uwo.ca, and Counselling and Student Development Services can be found at http://www.kings.uwo.ca/kings- virtual-learning-commons/resources/student-services.
Tests/Examinations Students are responsible for seeking accommodation with appropriate documentation, prior to writing tests/examinations, if they are of the view that their performance may be affected by extenuating circumstances.